Leadership Thoughts for Life Long Learners

Archive for the tag “values”

I was reading John Maxwell book, “15 Invaluable Laws of Growth” and was deeply impacted by what he stated in the Law of Contribution. Maxwell differentiates the difference in living a life focused on Self Fulfillment vs a life focused on Self Development.

Self Fulfillment – thinks of how something serves me.

Self Development – thinks of how something helps me to serve others.

Self Fulfillment – feeling good is the product.

Self Development- feeling good is the by-product.

I do not know any leader that would not list one of the goals of their lives as desiring a feeling of self fulfillment. Yet, according to these definitions we realize that living with the focus of self development is a much deeper and generous claim. I have no doubt fallen into the trap of desiring self fulfillment at different times in my life. Yet, when self fulfillment becomes the goal it sabotages the culture you work in. The insinuation is that there is a defining moment when we arrive. The moment we think we have arrived we begin to lose our grip on the progress we have made. When self development becomes the aim, we never buy in to the mindset that there is some elusive “arrival” and we focus on consistently getting better as we progress forward.

I am privileged to lead a monthly small group in our community which pulls business leaders together to discuss leadership principles and how they apply to our current situations. This last week our topic was on the concept of Empowerment. While thinking about this topic throughout the week, I have come to believe that Empowerment encompasses three elements, which I will call the BEE Method of Empowerment.

Empowerment always begins with Believing in someone first. One could argue that it is impossible to empower another leader unless first you believe in them as an individual. Empowerment begins with Belief in. When someone believes in us, it sets wind to our sails and frees us to know that our value is not in proving our worth, but in making progress.

Unfortunately, many leaders are convinced that believing in someone is all that is required to empowering an individual. Nothing is more frustrating in life than having someone believe in you as an individual, yet feeling as though you do not have the proper tools or knowledge needed to accomplish the task set before you. I may be a very skilled writer, but if I am never given a computer with word processing capabilities, the fact that you believe in my writing abilities means nothing. We all have natural talents…. the difference between those who achieve and those who don’t is found in those who believe in their talents and are equipped to use the talents for the betterment of all. This is why the second stage of empowering someone is to EQUIP them. I see someone with potential that I want to Empower, so I 1) Believe in them, 2) Equip them.

The last part of empowering someone can be difficult for the leader that has pride issues. The completion of Empowering someone comes when you Believe in them, you Equip them and then finally you Endorse them. Leadership is influence and influence comes through permission. When a Leader Endorses someone they are moving their belief into action by giving the one whom they have equipped permission to influence others. The reason this is difficult on the prideful leader is because once an endorsement is made it reflects on our character. Yet, I have come to realize that it is impossible to create a culture of empowerment without being willing to put your character on the line every once in a while.
“BEE” Empowering – 1. Believe In 2. Equip 3. Endorse

Your life is a culmination of things and people that you were or are 1) attracted to or 2) attracted to you. Look around, what do you see? Who do you see? It is difficult for us to admit the truth, we are who we are, not what we want to be. Leaders are magnets. We attract people to us personally before anyone ever buys into our vision. One of the largest mistakes a leader can make is to invest all of their energy into crafting a compelling vision, yet never discover or identify who they are and who they are not first. As a leader you must recognize what kind of person you need to attract to make the vision a reality. When you know who you need to attract, you can then begin to identify what kind of leader you need to be to attract those people. Leadership is more about WHO you are rather than WHAT you do. Your presence as a leader is attracting someone or something to your organization or team. If you are filled with drama, guess what? Your organization will have drama. If you are passionate you will attract passionate people. If you are creative you will attract creative people and so on……. So, Who are you? Look around. Evaluate your DNA as a leader. Recognize what areas you need to work on personally to move the vision closer to reality. The only way to change who you attract is to change who you are.

A common phrase that is repeated often is, “actions speak louder than words.” When contemplating the issue of personal values, morals, and ethics, we must focus primarily on the actions and choices we take rather than just on stated values. Just as the clearest identifier of a seed is the fruit it ultimately bares, our actions become the fruit of our lives that flow from our roots or our values and morals. Having clearly defined values and morals are what ultimately guide our decision- making process both personally, as well as organizationally. In this paper, I will briefly discuss how values and morals guide my decision-making process.

The very nature of being a leader immediately positions us in a place of influence. In many cases, the leader of an organization is the one that does not run from a tough decision or problem, but rather is the one that embraces the difficulty standing ahead. While some decisions the leader must make are simple, many predicaments the leader is given to handle are not clear-cut. It is in these moments the leader must find something deeper within them than just what can be found on the surface. Clearly defined values and a moral code that drives ethical behavior must come into play.

When faced with an ethical decision that will ultimately affect myself, as well as those I lead I must begin by digging beneath the surface to the core of who I am by exploring my values and morals in light of the choice. For me personally, these values and morals come from a solid foundational belief in the Word of God as the authority in my life. Therefore, it is my personal desire for others to discover the fruit of my life in perfect alignment and sustained by the root of the Word of God.

When faced with an ethical or moral dilemma it is not wise to rely upon feelings as the guide of our choice. While a gut feeling can lead you in some instances it is not a reliable standard to use when facing issues of this magnitude. Having made the decision to build my life on the Word of God and viewing the Word of God as the foundation of all moral choices and the seedbed for my personal values I always go back to it when seeking clarity on specific issues. In many instances, the Word of God will speak clearly for or against an issue that society views as a personal preference. On the occasions when it doesn’t, I must begin to process my decision-making through the lens of my values and principles, which are rooted in the Word of God.

If I do not have clear direction on a difficult decision I am facing, I then ask how the decision I am about to make will affect the values and principles I have chosen to live by. If a decision for something is legally and morally ok, yet it would violate my personal values and principles, I am obligated to not pursue the decision any further. If the decision is legally and morally ok and it does not violate my personal values and ethics, I would then place the decision in perspective of short- term and long- term benefits and drawbacks of the choice. Information is necessary to make wise choices; therefore, if I am lacking information I know I could get if I pursued it, I will try to get that information before I make the decision. In this case, ignorance is not bliss.

Just as the fruit of a tree determines its DNA, the actions and choices I make determine what my moral code and personal values are. It is vitally important in the life of a leader to determine early what they personally value. The process of determining ones personal values in life will liberate you to make choices based upon those values later on. In a sense, our personal values and moral code become the track for which we choose to live our life upon. The role of a leader is established by the permission of those who choose to follow. When a leader clearly defines their values and morals and then makes decisions based upon them, trust is built between the leader and follower, which in turn establish a greater permission to lead.